Category Archives: MISCELLANEOUS

“The Insider” Mini-Site: New on Brownstoner.com

Posted on January 12, 2017 by

WANT A TON OF NEW IDEAS for decorating/renovating your brownstone, loft, apartment or other urban dwelling? Brownstoner.com, the colossal Brooklyn-based real estate website for which I write a long-running weekly design column called The Insider, has just created a “mini-site” … Continue reading →

Posted in BROOKLYN, BROWNSTONE DECORATING, INTERIOR DESIGN, MISCELLANEOUS, RENOVATION, THE INSIDER - BROWNSTONER.COM | Leave a comment

Post-Election Philadelphia

Posted on November 14, 2016 by

PHILADELPHIA WAS A POIGNANT PLACE to spend time in the immediate aftermath of the election (after casting my vote in NYC, of course). Everywhere you look, there are statues and portraits of presidents and patriots, reminders of genius, courage and … Continue reading →

Posted in MISCELLANEOUS, PHILADELPHIA, TRAVEL | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Downtown Brooklyn: Then and Now

Posted on October 30, 2016 by

I ALWAYS LOVED those hokey “Then & Now” books you could buy at souvenir kiosks in Rome, showing what the Forum and Colosseum looked like in their 1st century heyday, with acetate pages superimposed to show how they look today. The photo … Continue reading →

Posted in BROOKLYN, HISTORIC PRESERVATION, MISCELLANEOUS | 4 Comments

Summer of Sunsets

Posted on September 19, 2016 by

LIVING A SIX-MINUTE WALK from a west-facing bay beach on the East End of Long Island, N.Y., I’ve become something of a professional sunset chaser, often with wine glass in hand. The sunsets here are particularly gratifying. I’ve learned you … Continue reading →

Posted in HAMPTONS, LONG ISLAND, MISCELLANEOUS | Tagged | 9 Comments

Behold the Lilies

Posted on July 7, 2016 by

CONSIDER THE LILIES of the field, and let’s not forget the hydrangeas, ladies’ mantel, astilbe, verbena and other things… July here at Green Half-Acre is turning out OK after all. Lilies — whether fancy ones from a catalogue, yard sale … Continue reading →

Posted in GARDENS & GARDENING, HAMPTONS, LONG ISLAND, MISCELLANEOUS | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Vintage Cottage on 2/3 Acre, East Hampton, N.Y. 580K

Posted on April 17, 2016 by

IF THIS HOUSE HAD COME UP when I was in the market a few years back, I would have seriously considered it, even though Sotheby’s is advertising it as a teardown. (The address is 110 Old Stone Highway, East Hampton, NY. … Continue reading →

Posted in HAMPTONS, LONG ISLAND, MISCELLANEOUS, PROPERTIES FOR SALE, REAL ESTATE/INVESTING | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Ambling Around Kensington

Posted on October 28, 2015 by

I’M MORE BULLISH THAN EVER on Kensington, the Philadelphia neighborhood north of Center City where I bought a small row house for investment in 2007. Eight years ago, the area was full of crumbling, sagging buildings. Now it’s being spiffed … Continue reading →

Posted in MISCELLANEOUS, PHILADELPHIA, REAL ESTATE/INVESTING | Tagged , | 2 Comments